Mohammad Azharuddin said Rishabh Pant needed to keep wickets in order to improve.

Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin on Sunday said he feels that Rishabh Pant should have kept wickets instead of Dinesh Karthik in the first T20 International (T20I) against the Windies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Karthik kept wickets as Pant, who is expected to take over the gloves from MS Dhoni when the latter retires, played as a specialist batsman. "I honestly feel Rishabh Pant should have kept wickets. When you're a keeper you got to keep wickets," Azharuddin said.

Azharuddin said he was not impressed by the 21-year old's glovework in England and needs to keep wickets on a regular basis to get better.

"He is a good player. He has done well. The more he keeps wickets, the more he will learn. I think his keeping needs to improve a lot. In England, he batted well but his keeping left a lot to be desired," added the 55-year old.

Kuldeep Yadav returned superb figures of 3/13 in his four overs, also completing 100 wickets in T20I cricket.

"Kuldeep has fast emerged as a good bowler. Now, he is bowling well and improving everyday. In the years to come he will be a major force," Azharuddin said.

Azharuddin was also full of praise for stand-in captain Rohit Sharma, terming the Mumbai batsman as a "cool" customer, who has shown his leadership skills whenever given a chance.

"He is calm and cool. Whenever he is given a chance, he has proved that he is a good captain. In the Asia Cup also, he did really well. He is improving everyday. He is a very cool captain."